Sara Bittorf, chief brand officer of Boston Market, based in Golden, went undercover for this week’s installment of “Undercover Boss,” (7 p.m. Friday on Channel 4) and the result wasn’t just the usual eye-opening, aspirational reality TV. For the first time in the series’ history, an employee was fired as a result of bad behavior witnessed up close by the undercover superior.

“My heart sank when I heard the things that were coming out of his mouth…” Bittorf said. The employee evidently was talking smack behind customers’ backs. “I had to divulge who I really was and take care of it at the moment,” Bittorf said by phone Tuesday.

Other than terminating an employee, the newcomer to Denver found carving chicken to be the most physically demanding part of the job. “Lifting the chicken onto the spit and into the oven and then taking the chicken off the spit onto the carving board,” was tough. “I’m left-handed and all the equipment we have at Boston Market is made for righties. Now I’m committed to making our procedures more lefty-friendly.”

The company, with over 460 stores and revenues over $500 million a year, has been based in Golden for years.

“I was 13 when I was a fry cook at Burger King. It’s been a long time since I stood on my feet all day long.” As a result of her experience, the company is now retraining people in how to use the break schedule software.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.